HEALDSBURG, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 10, 2025--
Sonoma County’s Rodney Strong Vineyards announces the third consecutive year of its sustainability sweepstakes. In 2025, the wine company continues to encourage more sustainable transportation solutions by offering participants a chance to win one of 10 eScooters, valued at $3,000 each. Now through May 31, consumers can enter online for a chance to become one of the lucky winners.
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“Rodney Strong Wine Estates has been at the forefront of sustainability initiatives for over 20 years,” said Anthony ‘AC’ Capobianco, Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing. “We believe it is more than just a set of rules to follow, but a daily decision to be leaders in sustainability in Sonoma County and beyond. This is a great opportunity for us to involve and engage our consumers in that effort and invite them to join us on this journey.”
Sustainability is a core principle to the operations at every level of the Rodney Strong organization and staff are deeply devoted to taking care of the earth, especially through each step in their winemaking process. In the cellars, for example, new technology reduces water use on the barrel wash line by 80%, and in the vineyards, grapevines are fenced in small blocks to maintain critical wildlife corridors. These efforts have earned the company recognition as one of California's first certified sustainable wineries and vineyards.
“We like to say ‘place matters’ at Rodney Strong Vineyards and we are doing what we can to protect and honor our home in Sonoma County,” Senior Vice President of Winegrowing & Winemaking Justin Seidenfeld said. “It’s important for us to be stewards of this land for generations to come and be thoughtful in how we operate as a leading wine company in the region each and every day.”
To enter the sweepstakes, consumers can visit the Rodney Strong sweepstakes website either directly or by scanning a QR code available via social media and on sales displays at national and regional stores and independent sellers of Rodney Strong wines. Three winners will be chosen from each region (west, central, and east), along with one additional nationwide winner from all eligible entries. The selection will occur on or about June 6, 2025. More information, along with the details on terms and conditions, is available online at rodneystrongescootersweeps.com.
Since 2023, Rodney Strong Vineyards has received over 43,000 entries across its two previous sweepstakes programs in an effort to expand awareness and engage consumers in meaningful conversations around sustainability efforts in the wine industry.
About Rodney Strong Wine Estates
Rodney Strong Wine Estates (RSWE) is a family-owned wine company that includes Rodney Strong Vineyards, Davis Bynum Wines, and ROWEN Wine Company. Rodney Strong sustainably farms 12 estate vineyards and produces wines from Sonoma County’s finest appellations. The winery was founded in 1959 by Sonoma County pioneer Rod Strong as the 13th bonded winery in the county. For over 30 years, RSWE has flourished under the leadership of the Klein Family, 4th generation California farmers. The Klein family is committed to protecting and preserving the environment in both the vineyards and at the winery through sustainable and innovative practices. Rodney Strong Wine Estates is a family of passionate people committed to crafting premium wines, meaningful experiences, and sustainable leadership in Sonoma County. Learn more at RodneyStrong.com.
Going Green is in our Roots | Rodney Strong Vineyards is devoted to sustainability at all levels of the organization. Efforts which have earned the company recognition as one of California's first certified sustainable wineries and vineyards.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — President Donald Trump was set to address graduating students at the University of Alabama on Thursday, a visit that drew hundreds of protesters to an off-campus rally.
Trump’s evening remarks in Tuscaloosa will be the Republican president’s first address to graduates in his second term and will come as he has been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration. The visit came shortly after he announced a shake-up to his national security team, with Mike Waltz being tapped for United Nations ambassador and Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking over Waltz's national security adviser role on an interim basis.
The White House offered no details about Trump’s planned message to graduates.
Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64% of the vote in 2024, is where he has staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. It is also where Trump showed early signs of strength in his first presidential campaign when he began filling stadiums for his rallies.
While Trump has described the speech as a commencement address, it is actually a special event that was created before graduation ceremonies that begin Friday. Graduating students have the option of attending the event.
Former Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban is also speaking.
Ahead of the president's arrival, cap-and-gown-wearing graduates and their families began filing into the arena where Trump was set to speak. Many seemed excited about the prospect of seeing him in person.
Emily Appel, a 22-year-old advertising major from Norcross, Georgia, called Trump's appearance at their school “a cherry on top” of her college years.
“I think it’s such an honor, no matter who the president is. I think this is a huge honor to have the president of the United States speaking to our school," Appel said.
She called Trump a “very influential person” and said she hoped he had a message to share that was "positive about us being able to work in the real world and for our future.”
Sophie Best, who is graduating with a communications degree, said, “I don’t think that we could have had a greater person come to speak."
The 21-year-old from Cartersville, Georgia, said she attended Trump's first presidential inauguration in 2017 when she was a freshman in high school, along with her father, who she said loves Trump.
“I think that no matter what political party or whatever you believe in, I think that it’s super cool that we get to experience and make history and be a part of this,” she said.
At a park several miles away, hundreds of people gathered at a counter rally hosted by College Democrats. One-time presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke of Texas and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama, were slated to address the rally, called a “Tide Against Trump” — a play on the university’s nickname.
Aidan Meyers, a 21-year-old junior studying biology at the university, said he felt betrayed by the decision to let Trump speak at a graduation-related event.
“I felt betrayed that the university was willing to put up with someone who has made it clear that they hate academia, essentially holding funding above universities' heads as a bargaining chip, unless they bow down to what he wants, which is kind of a hallmark sign with fascist regime,” Meyers said.
He said he also feels betrayed by the administration’s stance on science and research. A fellowship he was seeking at the National Institutes of Health was canceled because of the federal hiring freeze, he said.
O'Rourke praised the students who invited him as “inspiring” and said their efforts in a Republican-dominated state like Alabama are an example for the rest of the country.
“You cannot be too red or too rural or too Republican to be written off right now. You also can't be too blue or too liberal to be taken for granted,” O’Rourke told The Associated Press after arriving in Tuscaloosa. “You've got to show up absolutely everywhere. We truly are in crisis.”
Trump’s presence has also drawn criticism from the Alabama NAACP, which said his policies are hurting universities and students, particularly students of color.
Trump's visit to Alabama is his second trip this week. He held a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark 100 days in office.
Outside of weekend trips for personal visits, the president has not made many official trips since taking office on Jan. 20. He usually speaks to the public from the impromptu news conferences he holds in the Oval Office and at other events at the White House.
After his stop in Alabama, Trump is scheduled to travel to Florida for a long weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Later this month, he is scheduled to give the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.
Associated Press writer Bill Barrow contributed to this report from Atlanta.
President Donald Trump walks with Air Force Col. Angela Ochoa, Commander of the 89th Airlift Wing from Marine One to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., en route Tuscaloosa National Airport, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
